The Search for Paradise
by Lil'Conqueror
Summary: They were both dead, unable to be of any use on Earth, regardless of what she may believe. So why was she still smiling?


**A/N: **My first ever Sephiroth and Aerith fic, well, my first ever Final Fantasy one aleast. :) Why do all my ideas come to me late at night when I'm already tucked in bed? Haha.

**Summary: **They were both dead, unable to be of any use on Earth, regardless of what she may believe. So why was she still smiling?

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>He eyed her cautiously from across the wide open field, which happend to be exactly where all the flowers were building up. He frowned, the smell of the fair scented flowers somehow nauseating to himself. She was currently leaning over the flowers, feeling their silky texture beneath her finger tips. Her long brown hair, tied neatly in a even braid blew gently in the breeze. Her face calm and sincere, genuine even. She looked truly at peace, despite herself being dead. At this, he frowned, realizing why she was in such a state.<p>

It was because of him. He had killed her, stolen her life away from her while she knelt, praying it seemed, unaware of her sorroundings. After that moment, he abruptly felt regret and utter shame. He was never one to attack someone who lay defenseless; it was just too cowardly for his taste. But Jenova wasn't so yeilding. It was Jenova's power over him that forced her demise and blood on his hands. Over all, he had pitied the girl. But he knew he couldn't simply apologize to her, what would that say about him? And he wasn't one to show out right sympathy. Weakness wouldn't be allowed.

Coming out of his reviere, he suddenly realized she was looking at him over her shoulder, still in the same kneeling position as before.

"Sephiroth." She spoke calmly, as if refeering to an old friend and not someone who had taken her life.

Immediately, he began to go through his mind to put a name to her face as well. What had Cloud and his foolish friends called her? He knew her surname to be Gainsborough, since he briefly recalled Hojo mentioning once upon a time, but-

"Aerith?" He tried, his tone flat and indifferent. But he secretly hoped he was correct, not one for taking embarrassment lightly.

Abruptly, she smiled in sincerity. He figured that was a good sign.

She went back to admiring the flowers beneath her, but kept her voice light and conversational when talking to him.

"How are you feeling?" She inquiried earnestly.

It took Sephiroth a moment to responde, caught off guard by her tone of voice.

This time, his tone was slightly sarcastic in reply. "How is a dead person suppose to feel like in the afterlife?"

Aerith laughed softly at this. "Not so hostile, actually." She joked half-heartedly.

Sephiroth coughed, averting his gaze from the girl. What was he doing, conversing with the likes of her? Though Jenova held no more power over his body, he still felt the after affects on his heart. Well, whatever was there.

Thinking he took offense to that, Aerith immediately back peddled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

But he easily shook his head, his cyan orbs looming over her figure oncemore.

"Forget it." He paused, swallowing before speaking again. "I, _apologize, _for the attitude. There really is no reason for the hosility in our predicament." He nodded, apprasingly.

Aerith rose an elegant brow. "Predicament?" Finally, she rose from the ground. Turning her full attention on him. "Do you believe that is what this is? A predicament?"

This time, it was Sephiroth who looked at her questioningly. "Do you not believe that? Unless you perfer the damned."

She shook her head, her long brown bangs hitting her cheeks softly.

"I think we were brought here for a reason; I believe everything happens for a reason."

"Do you believe our meeting again is for a reason?" He spoke aloud before he could think it over. Hardly being one for regret, he waited patiently for her reaction.

Again, she smiled. Her seemingly soft lips pulled upwards, her doe like emerald orbs closing slightly in thought.

"Maybe it is." She mused thoughtfully, tilting her chin back and folding her arms across her chest.

"How do you figure?" He took a cautious step forward, waiting for her reponse.

She brought her face down, giving him another radiant smile, her eyes closing. It left him momentarily pondering how she could smile so much. What was there to smile about? So they were in an open field of deeply scented and pure flowers. (Still unsure how he got here in the first place.) But she was dead, he was dead, what was there to be so cheerful about?

Not fully aware of his body moving closer to hers, she replied to his question, "Do you remember that day?"

Sephiroth paused in mid-step, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I've had many days, Aerith, which are you implying about?"

"The day your _Masamune _ran through my mid-section." Absentmindly drifting her hand across her stomach in the memory.

Inwardly, Sephiroth grimanced, though not entirely sure why. Yes, he remembered that day.

She continued without vouching for a reaction. "I forgave you for that, if you were wondering." She supplied, shrugging.

At this, Sephiroth grew slightly upset.

"You're giving me your _forgiveness _for killing you with my blade? How foolish." He hissed, appalled by her words.

"Foolish?" She allowed the word to fall off her tongue. "So you think I should hate you for it? Hold a grudge against you for the inevitable?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes into some sort of vicious glare, though it felt off somehow.

"Hate would be a start. It doesn't seem, appropriate, for you to forgive me so easily, especially when I never asked for it." He glowered distastefully. Upon thinking through her words more carefully, he spoke again. The hint of suprise behind them, though very miniscule. "Inevitable? Had you planned your death at my hands?"

Aerith gasped, as if looking offended herself. "I planned no such thing! I never asked to die, not by anyone's hand!" Her outburst hadn't fazed Sephiroth, for he clearly welcomed it, but it made her wince slightly. After a moment, she restarted, this time her tone much more calm and collected.

"Hatred in the heart isn't very healthy," She murmured, looking intently at Sephiroth. "Not for anyone. And besides, I knew you were there." She admitted, almost sheepishly.

Sephiroth glared, fisting his hands into balls at his side. "If you knew, why didn't you attempt to block me or at the very least dodge?"

He just couldn't understand, couldn't allow the thought of her lies about not wanting to die. And he grew more frusterated with the thought that she was so hard to read. Unlike all the other foes who fell at his hands. He scolded them for being so easy to predict.

Somewhere in the back of his mind though, he wondered if she would come up with the excuse that it was very a good reason. Because afterall, everything happend for a reason, in her pathetic opinion.

Her answering smile was slowly starting to grate on his nerves.

"Stop that!" He sneered, his lip pulling back in a almost feral growl.

Her smile faltered slightly. He was almost satisfied.

"Stop what?"

He rolled his eyes at her obliviousness. "Smiling. You have no reason to do so."

She frowned and Sephiroth almost smirked.

"I think you're mistaken, Sephiroth." She murmured, his name rolling off her tongue in a strange way. He took in a sharp breath that went unnoticed by her.

"Care to enlighten my _obvious _mistake. Since you seem to be the only one in their right mind." His tone instantly went defensive with sarcasm.

"Do you want to know what I believe?"

He didn't bother to answer her and merely waited impatiently for her to speak again.

She laughed gently, as if her mind reeled with an inside joke he hadn't caught on about. Boldly, she took the needed steps to stand mere inches from his towering form. Sephiroth stared down at her from beneath his long lashes; his look could have easily been mistaken as seductive, but Aerith knew better. Gingerly, she brought her hand up to move his silver bangs out of his face. She was being ungodly straight forward, possibly thinking he couldn't do much to her, they were already dead. And he realized his childish behavior and relaxed slightly under her touch. No reason to get all worked up, he chided himself inwardly. She leaned in slightly, placing her other hand on his hip.

"Compared to Earth, all of _this _is paradise. I believe, it's given to those who God has deemed to have been strong long enough and is in need of a break." She joked, though her tone felt off somehow, as if she was doubting her word. "I mean, it seems logical right? You've been here before, havn't you? When you were defeated..." She trailed off, uncertain if he'd take offense to that.

But it was as if he hadn't heard her. His eye, nearly glazed over in a foreign emotion, before shutting altogether. He had leaned into her touch and stepped forward so she was practically embracing him. Aerith swallowed, blushing lightly before continuing.

"And than you came back to life after a short period of time. So maybe, all of this, maybe it's worth something."

Another soft breeze blew by as the flowers moved gently to the wind. But Sephiroth hadn't said a word, hadn't corrected her assumption of being defeated nor put his two sense into any of her other words. Merely placed his face fully into the palm of her hand, as if enjoying the gentle touch of another being. Abruptly, a feeling passed through him. It seemed familiar, in all of the sense. Like he felt it on a daily basis. But he never recalled it actually happening.

Just then, his voice vibrated softly in her ears, still startling her.

"So why do you smile," He breathed, eyes still closed. "_Aerith?" _The way he spoke her name sent a shiver down her spine, a pretty blush on her face. Subconciously, he leaned down, his lips inches away from her forehead.

Aerith swallowed thickly. "I-I smile because," She paused quickly, thinking over her reason she always seemed to remind herself. "Because I hope to find something in return..." She wasn't sure if that covered it though.

At this, Sephiroth opened his eyes slowly, though only half way. "Something in return?" He repeated curiously.

She nodded mutely.

"That seems a bit selfish." He chuckled lightly, leaning down again to brush his lips against her forehead briefly.

Aerith gasped softly, completely baffled to this new side of the dark prince.

"N-Not r-really." She mentally slapped herself for stuttering. She closed her eyes before starting again. "What I mean is, I smile for others."

"So it's really a selfless act?" He whispered, staring down at her innocent face.

She ignored him and carried on. "Everyone is always working so hard, defending and helping. I can't do much," She smiled sadly and Sephiroth instantly frowned at the sight. "But I hope with a smile and a few encouraging words, they could keep going, finding a new determination to succeed, um, I mean..." But she stopped after that, not sure if her explanation was making any sense to him or not.

"I can't do much." She repeated, her tone so low Sephiroth had to strain his ears to hear her.

Taking a gloved hand, he pressed it to her face, forcing her emerald eyes to clash with his own cyan ones.

"Is that what you're in search for?" He wondered absently, tracing a finger down her jaw. "Some sort of peace for everyone around you that fight so hard?"

She merely bobbed her head, unable to find her voice. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against her own. Her breath hitched at the contact.

Sephiroth sighed. "This _paradise _you speak of, sorry to disappoint you, but it does not exist."

He watched her face fall, but continued.

"You're right though in assuming I shall be reborned once again to do what I was built to accomplish."

His unspoken words of destruction went without saying.

"That's just life. And nothing you pray about will change that." He whispered dismissively.

His tone might've been calm and soft to the ears, but Aerith felt the power behind them. The fear she should have been feeling this entire time. This was Sephiroth now. He wasn't who he was all those years ago. There wasn't any kindness to be shared. He just wasn't that man anymore.

A lone tear escaped her eye as she whispered back brokenly, "Is there truly nothing I can do to stop this madness?"

Sephiroth truly seemed thoughtful about this, as if taking into consideration her words, before he lowered his face just enough to steal a sweet kiss from her lips.

"You could smile. Perhaps that is where it starts."

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><p>This actually started out as a drabble, but eventually all the words flew on the screen and I couldn't stop at just that. :) So reviews are greatly accepted and appreciated! I hope my first Final Fantasy fic came out alright for the most part. Lemme know what'cha think. :D<p> 


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